It’s Time for the Minnesota Twins to Get Creative at First Base

[Fred]

On 10/13/2025 at 9:36 AM, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I do not subscribe to the theory of putting your big guys who can't run fast nor move laterally quickly at first base. I feel first base is a very important defensive position, which requires quickness laterally and really good footwork. I'm more than OK with not getting 20 home runs out of a first baseman who can hit .250 and win a gold glove.

A .250 average and a gold glove is adequate anywhere, and more than acceptable at SS, CF, or catcher. You can carry one or two adequate ballplayers in your lineup, but, if your lineup is full up with adequate, you will be lucky to finish .500. It's not like the Twins are overflowing with mashers and thumpers, and it's much easier to find a thumper to play 1st.

[Fred]

On 10/13/2025 at 3:19 PM, ashbury said:

We're getting creative at 1B, and no mention of Aaron Sabato?

Uh, yeah, I guess not.

It's a pity that Sabato looked like he might have figured something out for a brief period this past season. Now I have to keep telling myself "hope is not a plan, hope is not a plan, hope is not a plan". Sigh!

[ashbury]

37 minutes ago, Fred said:

It's a pity that Sabato looked like he might have figured something out for a brief period this past season. Now I have to keep telling myself "hope is not a plan, hope is not a plan, hope is not a plan". Sigh!

Sudden Onset High BABIP Syndrome is not a plan.  😀

[DJL44]

Spotrac calculated most of these market values (good a guess as any). The Japanese players I grabbed from wild guesses in articles.

Alonso 6 years $176M

Murakami 8 years - $200M (could be longer and more money but $25M AAV looks right)

Arraez 5 years $70M (no thanks)

Okamoto 4 years - $55M

Naylor 3 years $45M (this is low, add a 4th season)

Diaz 2 years $34M (actual contract is 2 years - $22-24M so $10M excess value)

O'Hearn 2 years $22M

Hoskins 2 years $14M

Mountcastle ($10M arbitration estimate)

Bell 1 year $11M (more than double what I expected)

Goldschmidt 1 year $7M

Santana 1 year $6M

Andujar 1 year $6M

Moncada 1 year $2M

Flores 1 year $2M

France 1 year $1.6M

 

The Twins should be interested in any of the guys in bold.

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Spotrac calculated most of these market values (good a guess as any). The Japanese players I grabbed from wild guesses in articles.

Alonso 6 years $176M

Murakami 8 years - $200M (could be longer and more money but $25M AAV looks right)

Arraez 5 years $70M (no thanks)

Okamoto 4 years - $55M

Naylor 3 years $45M (this is low, add a 4th season)

Diaz 2 years $34M (actual contract is 2 years - $22-24M so $10M excess value)

O'Hearn 2 years $22M

Hoskins 2 years $14M

Mountcastle ($10M arbitration estimate)

Bell 1 year $11M (more than double what I expected)

Goldschmidt 1 year $7M

Santana 1 year $6M

Andujar 1 year $6M

Moncada 1 year $2M

Flores 1 year $2M

France 1 year $1.6M

 

The Twins should be interested in any of the guys in bold.

I'm thinking you are correct from a Twins past practice viewpoint.

My sense tells me no thank you on all but Naylor.

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Spotrac calculated most of these market values (good a guess as any). The Japanese players I grabbed from wild guesses in articles.

Arraez 5 years $70M (no thanks)

[snip]

Naylor 3 years $45M (this is low, add a 4th season)

 

I'd bet Naylor getting 4 for $70M before Arraez a) getting 5 years, or 2) getting $70M. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but there was so little interest in him at $14M on an expiring last winter that I have trouble seeing anyone re-upping him for 5 years at the same rate. But Naylor is definitely getting more and for longer.

[JADBP]

You know...a big problem here in Twins country is not that we are missing a 1Bman or another C...it is the player management by the front office.  We draft shortstops and CF'ers because they are uber athletes at SS or CF with the rationale that if they are great at SS, then they can easily transfer that athleticism to another position. 

That's a fine draft strategy IF you ever do move one of these guys off SS BEFORE he gets to the biggs!  The Twins approach is to play  all of these SS's at SS "until they can't,"  Then they will take this talented IFer and train him at another position...but that only ever happens AFTER he has made it to the biggs and is blocked by another fine SS!  So, we end up almost never drafting and training a guy for 1B, 2B, 3B or C.  We just always assume that it is easy to take a guy who has played nothing but SS in MiLB for 2-3-4 years and just jam him into 2B.  Whoops...how well did that work out?  We got realty luck with Keashall....but look at this endless line of SS's that we have drafted!?!?!  WTH??

If you say there are no good 1Bmen to draft, or 3Bmen to draft, then look more closely....because you would be wrong.  The Twins unfortunately picked Cavaco over Bryson Stott (the next pick)--both SS's.  But the Phillies quickly moved Stott to 2B in the minors and he has turned out to be pretty good at the position.  No such luck for Lee, Lewis, and others (is Culpepper next?). 

I don't have a problem of drafting talented SS's because they are highly skilled athletes, but if you plan to move them, then you MUST give them the training for other positions starting in the low minors.  Otherwise you end up with a mess like Lewis at 2B.  You can't train him for years at SS and then suddenly say "OOPS, we're gonna move you to 2B or RF or 3B" as soon as he hits MLB!  That's just downright inane.

[Mike Sixel]

On 10/13/2025 at 8:53 AM, srlarson said:

Hard no a Wallner, hitting .202 is not major league level talent......Larnach not worth the arbitration level...if you can get him for less.....

We're just going to ignore the other two years?